A Brother's bond
by lustless envy
Summary: Hikaru/Kaoru x oc After finding out his brother has been keeping secrets from him, Kaoru has trouble with his conscious and doing what's right. Is it finally time for him to step out of the limelight and do what's right for him?
1. Secret keeping

Kaoru looked up from his game gear and scowled at his twin. "Are you gonna answer that? It's killing my game play." he growled having just lost his high score thanks to the apartment's intercom ringing loudly. Normally that wouldn't bother him but this time it did as his brother had just stood there frowning at the display screen. "...Nah, I'll just pretend I'm not in." Hikaru replied with a shrug as he finally drew his eyes away from the screen, where the would-be guest was still waiting, and went to his room. Kaoru groaned loudly trying to make sure that his twin could hear him as he got up. He decided to grab a coffee from the kitchen but couldn't help but take a slight detour to peek at the display on the intercom. The person stood there wasn't a delivery man or post man like he was expecting. It was a girl. A cute girl. She had a bike helmet hooked on her arm as she scowled at the intercom herself then looked at her phone. Somewhere in the apartment Kaoru could hear his brother's phone ring.

"So, what's she called?" Kaoru called out as he went to his brother's room. "None of your business." Hikaru pouted and frowned at him. "Well I'd like to know when I go open the door to her when the lift brings her up to this floor." Kaoru smirked back. Hikaru's jaw dropped. "What? No! I said I didn't wanna see her!" he snapped, stumbling over the end of his bed as he tried to rush out of his bedroom as there was a knock on the front door. Kaoru stood in the doorway to his brother's room as Hikaru had no choice but to answer the front door. "Hello...?" he answered stiffly as he opened the door. "Hey Hikaru! Sorry, I know it's late but guess what I've got." she said stepping onto the welcome mat as Hikaru had to let her in. "You're right. It is late. But go on, since you're here, what'cha got?" He asked as he shut the door behind her.

From where he was stood Kaoru could see them and hear them quite clearly as there was light flooding into the hallway from the front room while he'd had enough thought to turn Hikaru's bedroom light off before she came in, leaving Kaoru out of sight in the shadows. She was just a few inches shorter than his twin and had a typical athletic build. She had blood red hair that was tied back in a ponytail for practicality when riding her bike. She was wearing leather pants, a pair of black boots Kaoru knew his mother would have approved of, a tank top and a black leather jacket. The motorbike helmet still swung from her arm, the same side as her messenger bag was hung on. Upon first appearances, Kaoru figured she looked pretty cool enough.

"Happy birthday! I got us two tickets to see our favourite singer. Front row tickets too!" she beamed, showing him the tickets. Hikaru didn't look impressed and sighed, "Sorry babe. I would but I'm really not feeling so great... That's why I wasn't answering your calls." he said. Her face fell and Kaoru felt for her. Normally Hikaru let him in on these jokes but this time he didn't even know the girl! "Oh... yeah, ok. No problem... sorry to bother you." her smile faltered but she managed to keep a weak one on her lips for him. "Don't worry." he shrugged it off. "Ok... well... get well soon baby. You know I'm only a phone call away if you need me." she said as she hugged him. Hikaru hugged her back, "Yeah, I do. Text me when you get in." he said as she left.

"Soooo...? What was that about?" Kaoru asked after his brother had closed the door. "Hmm? She's been real needy lately so I'm trying to get her to understand that I need space." Hikaru said in slight annoyance. "Fair doos... but what were the tickets for?" Kaoru asked curiously. "Oh those? Yeah, she wanted to take me to see Lady Gaga." he shrugged. Kaoru's jaw dropped, "What. But... but why didn't you just accept them? Or buy them off her? Like, 'sorry I'm too ill to go but let me give you the money back for them and I'll get rid of them?'. I've been trying to get hold of those for months!" he exclaimed. "Well then, why don't you go down after her and tell her all that?" Hikaru wafted his hand and headed back to his room. Kaoru didn't need to be given the suggestion twice and in seconds he had his shoes on and had grabbed his jacket and was out the door.

In the lift on the way down he remembered to change the side his hair was parted on to match his brothers. He expected to have to run after her bike as she'd left a few minutes ago now but was soon to find that this wasn't to be. She was sat on the steps just outside the block that lead down to the courtyard. It was only as he spotted her that he realised he'd forgotten to ask his brother what her name was. "Erm... hey... you ok?" he asked, deciding it was too late to go back now though he quickly moved his parting back. If he was lucky then Hikaru had already told her a lot about him so introductions wouldn't be all that necessary. She glanced up at him as he stopped near her. He felt ashamed to see she had tears in her eyes, a few of which had found their way down her cheek.

"Yes, I'm ok Hika... you're not Hikaru..." she said slowly. "Yeah, you got me there." he smiled, trying to play it off cool. "So you must be his brother..." she added slowly. "Guilty as charged. My name is Kaoru Hitatchi." he bowed in such a way that Tamaki would have been proud of. "Kaoru... I'll be sure to remember it. I'm Genevieve. Hikaru just calls me Geni though." she introduced herself. Kaoru sat beside her and offered her a tissue, "The pleasure is all mine. I'm sorry for my brother's behaviour. He really hasn't been well lately." he tried to explain. Geni nodded, "Yes. I hate how he likes to keep it to himself though. It must be hard on you." she said softly. Kaoru nodded. She really was cute and, from the sounds of it, she was one of the few girls Hikaru had dated that really seemed to care about him. Now... how did he turn the conversation around to the tickets? He had to remember why he was here.

"So... I was wondering..." he started slowly but she mustn't have heard him as she stood up. "Well I need to get home. It's lovely to have finally met my love's dear brother. Hopefully we'll be able to meet again. I get the feeling that Hikaru doesn't really want me to get close to his family." she mused as she got her bike keys out. "Oh. Before I forget, here. You can have them. Forgive me if I'm wrong but you two must have similar tastes in music." she said, handing the tickets to Kaoru who sat there in utter shock. He wasn't stupid. He knew the tickets cost a small fortune. He also knew, from looking at her, that she wasn't as rich as the people they usually hung out with. Especially if her bike was anything to go by, which she was now walking towards. "But...why?" he managed to ask as she got on her bike. "Because why not? Enjoy yourself and take someone cool with you. You'll have a blast. Just take care of your brother for me." she winked before pulling the visor down on her helmet and setting off.

Kaoru slowly made his way back up to the apartment he shared with his twin. "So, did you catch up to her?" Hikaru called from his bedroom as he heard the front door shut as Kaoru took off his shoes and jacket. "Yeah." Kaoru replied. "And...?" Hikaru persisted. "How long have you been seeing her?" Kaoru answered his question with a question. "A year or so. But never mind that. Did you get those tickets you wanted?" Hikaru asked, Kaoru could hear the annoyance in his tone of voice. "A year and I've only just met her." Kaoru shook his head. "Yeah? so what? I don't need to tell you every girl I date." Hikaru was getting defensive now. "What about that Niya girl? Didn't you break up with her just three months ago?" Kaoru asked, knowing his brother would get more angry with the more questions he asked. "So what? You know it's all just a game to me so no big deal." Hikaru hissed.

Kaoru was silent for a moment as he stared at the tickets in his hands. He felt bad for Geni. "I got the tickets." he said slowly. "Oh cool. We should go together. It'll be fun. How much she want for them anyway?" Hikaru seemed instantly cheered up. "Nothing. She just gave them to me... but since you didn't want them I think I'll take someone else." Kaoru said firmly. "What?! Like who?" Hikaru demanded. "I don't know. Maybe Geni? It seems unfair letting her pay for these while you lie to her about being ill." Kaoru said without thinking. Hikaru laughed from his room, "Please! You'd take her?! She's sooo not your type Kaoru! Serious, she's a bad girl with tons of baggage. You never even used to carry your own school bag so I doubt you could handle hers!" Kaoru felt his cheeks burn but he went to his room and shut his door. He hadn't been serious about taking Geni but wanted to hear Hikaru be a little bit protective of her. But since he hadn't it had just made Kaoru's mind up about who he was going to take.


	2. The Not Knowing

Kaoru thought about it all night and when he woke up he found that he felt more annoyed than ever at his brother. It was only 6am but he got up. He managed to shower, get dressed and have breakfast before 7. Hikaru was fast asleep still, not knowing that his brother was sat up waiting to have a serious conversation with him. Kaoru waited another ten minutes before deciding to go out for a morning run. He'd normally hit the gym with his twin but since Hikaru was the reasoning behind his annoyance, Kaoru decided to go running at the park to be alone.

He walked there and did some simple stretches to warm up but as he sat doing his shoe laces up he spotted someone familiar jogging along the path. It was Geni and trotting along at her heel was a German shepherd with a dark blue jacket on. Kaoru stood up and smiled and waved at her. She spotted him and waved back.

As she drew close she motioned to the dog who instantly stopped and lay down. "Hey you, feeling better?" She smiled. "Sorry, I'm Kaoru. Hikaru still isn't feeling that great but I needed some air." He replied with an apologetic smile. "Oopse, sorry. Guess I need more practice to tell the difference." She apologised. "No problem, even our family struggles so we're used to it... so, is that your dog?" He asked, changing the subject. She glanced back at the dog who lay panting a few feet away, "Yep, that's Bane, my family." She smiled. Kaoru smiled too, "Why's he over there? Is he dangerous?" He asked. "Oh no, as long as you aren't threatening towards me. But Hikaru is allergic. He never comes over because of it." She explained. Kaoru knew this was a lie but bit his tongue. "Well I'm not, that's where we differ, can I say hi? I love dogs." He said. She looked a bit surprised but turned and called to the dog. Bane got up and padded towards them. He sat before her and now Kaoru could see what was written on the back of his dark blue jacket. It said 'police dog'. "Are you in the force then?" He asked, kneeling down and greeting the dog. "Oh no. He belonged to my father. I was lucky that after his death the police force allowed me to keep him." Geni said as she watched them. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Kaoru apologised quickly. "It's okay. I lost them two years ago so I'm ok." She said. "Them?" Kaoru asked before he could stop himself. "Yeah... I only had a small family. My parents and younger brother. The first time I ever went out to a club they were murdered by a gang my father had been chasing." She sighed sadly.

Kaoru stood up, lost for words. "I'm so sorry..." he uttered. "It's fine, we're used to being alone now, right boy?" She smiled weakly at the dog. Kaoru wrapped his arms around her without thinking and rested his head on her shoulder. Hearing others loneliness always got to him. "I'm sorry." He uttered into her shoulder. "It's ok, Kaoru." She said as she hugged him back gently. Kaoru let himself calm down before letting her go. She'd just been exercising so was somewhat sweaty but he couldn't help but think that she smelt good.

"Sorry, I made that a bit awkward... but erm, mind if I run with you guys?" He asked rubbing the back of his head. "Sure, we'd love the company, wouldn't we Bane?" She said, asking the dog. Bane barked in reply, wagging his tail. Kaoru beamed and together the three of them set off. Kaoru felt surprisingly at ease with her and the convention was soon flowing. The more they talked the more Kaoru couldn't understand why his brother was trying to avoid her. She was easy to get along with, she was thoughtful, caring and seemed to think the world of Hikaru. He decided to put this to his brother when he got back.

After a good hour of gentle jogging and occasional breaks of walking they parted company. Geni told Kaoru to give his twin her love and told him he was more than welcome to go running with her and Bane again. Kaoru said he would look forward to it and he stood at the exit to the park, waving as she left with her dog. She'd managed to put him into such a good mood that all the annoyance caused by Hikaru the night before had left him. Sure, he wouldn't feel like that later but at least right now he felt positive and good about life.

Back at home Kaoru found his brother had only just gotten up. It made him scowl but he recalled the long talks he'd had with Geni and decided to speak to him about them if only to see how Hikaru reacted. "So, I saw Genevieve while I was out..." he said slowly but all Hikaru did was nod slightly to show he'd heard him so Kaoru went on, "She was walking her dog, Bane... have you met him? He's a very well behaved German Shepherd and could certainly give Tono's Dog Antoinette a lesson or two." he said. "Even a plushy dog could teach that dog a thing or two about being a dog. I don't think the boss has ever tried training her since he got her." Hikaru said as he poured himself and his brother a cup of coffee. Kaoru accepted it with a slight frown, "You know, she told me all about how allergic you are to the dog too..." he said now, pretending to sip his hot beverage. "Lying again. She just doesn't like me to hang out with her." Hikaru grumbled, sipping his coffee. "Funny that, she seemed genuinely upset to hear you were ill yesterday and surprised that I wasn't allergic to dogs." Kaoru said through gritted teeth.

Hikaru said nothing, much to his twins annoyance which only forced Kaoru to come out and ask him directly, "So what the hell is going on with you two? Why are you avoiding her?" he demanded. Hikaru sighed and looked up from his coffee, "What can I say? I'm a little bored of my toy right now. Don't worry, it's not like I've any intentions on cheating but I just want to give us some space. She just doesn't get it so I told her I couldn't come over to hers because of her dog... besides, it doesn't like me anyway." he finally admitted. "She's not a toy you know... she genuinely cares about you. I don't know what she sees in you given how I struggle to see the good in either of us at all but she's completely smitten. All we talked about was you." Kaoru told him honestly, hoping that Hikaru would at least seem impressed with her devotion. He wasn't. "So? Of course she is. She's practically as broke as Haruhi was only difference is that I'm exotic to her so she's counting her blessings and thinking about how lucky she is to find a guy with money and intelligence that's from a nice tropical country that's fallen for her." he scoffed. Kaoru glared but Hikaru didn't see it. "Just... try treat her better. She's mad about you and some how I don't think she's into you for your money." Kaoru said heading to his room.

Some times his brother really made him furious. First he had kept a girl from him for what must have been at least a good few months if not a year, if Hikaru's game play was anything to go by, and now he was treating her like a toy despite them both agreeing to not treat people like that! Kaoru lay on his bed, deciding the best thing to do was to take a nap before he lost his cool with his brother and said something he'd regret.


	3. Crazy fool

p data-p-id="ad230e2455ca0517f165a12a3d3e34df"Kaoru woke up a few hours later and felt a little bit calmer. He got up and went to the kitchen to make himself some lunch. Hikaru was already there, sat at the table, eating his own lunch. "Can you grab the juice?" He asked, his mouth half full. Kaoru scowled but got the carton of orange from the fridge and passed it to his twin then continued making his lunch. It was only when he sat down that Hikaru spoke again. "So, who are you taking to the gig?" He asked. Kaoru stabbed a piece of boiled egg with his fork, "I've asked Geni." he replied. Sure it was a lie but there was no way he was taking Hikaru after lying to Geni about being ill and allergic./p  
p data-p-id="9d795836997803243b8230cedc1adcf1""What? Why are you taking her?!" Hikaru demanded. "Because, you're ill." Kaoru replied as his fork now chased a piece of new potato. "I'm not ill!" Hikaru protested angrily as Kaoru reached for the salad cream. "That's not what you told your girlfriend, you remember her, right? The cute girl who bought those tickets so she could take you for a birthday treat?" Kaoru glared at his brother and saw the anger drain from his twins face who looked sheepishly at his plate as he picked at his food. They ate the rest of their meal in silence./p  
p data-p-id="02da6fa39e0f81ef09fba909e248ada6""So you don't think it'll be weird or anything?" Hikaru spoke once more as he took his plate to the sink once he'd finished eating. He still had yet to grasp the idea of washing up but taking it to the sink was at least a start. " 'Weird' how?" Kaoru asked as he followed suit and put his plate in the sink with the intention of doing the washing up now rather than put it off like Hikaru would. "Well weird in that, when ever she looks at you she'll be thinking of me." Hikaru said sounding a little smug about this fact. "Pfft, some how I doubt it." Kaoru scoffed as he started running the hot water and adding washing up liquid. "She's totally devoted to you, baka, and she's not stupid enough to mistake me for you. Even before she met me, when I first saw her I could tell from how she looked at me that she knew I wasn't you." he said. It was true, and yet, Kaoru couldn't help but feel bitter about this fact. They both fell silent for a while before Hikaru spoke again. "Shame that really. If she didn't know better we could have swapped places. I might not have grown bored of her so quickly if I could have kept swapping out so didn't have to spend all my time with her like we used to back in high school." he mused. Kaoru shot his twin a deadly glare but Hikaru wasn't paying attention as he drifted into the front room./p  
p data-p-id="3f1ee5cb46080f179ee8e819df4901a7"It was only when Kaoru was putting the now clean and dry plates and cutlery away that he started to think about Geni again, or more to the point of 'how can I ask her without getting her number from Hikaru and before Hikaru can ask her about it'. Among those thoughts came another potent one of 'How can I even find her to ask her for her number in the first place when I only met her once by chance this morning in the park?' He hated to admit it but it was looking more and more likely that he would have to 'borrow' Hikaru's phone. He'd have preferred to ask her for the number personally but it didn't seem very likely./p  
p data-p-id="ca9b85c2672139d38dcc124d37508fdd"Later that day, a little before dinner time, Kaoru got his chance. The twins still kept to one tradition they'd had since birth, a mid evening nap. Of course, neither of them admitted to doing such a thing but the other twin knew about it without the need to ask, given that they slept in different rooms... most of the time. Kaoru forced himself to stay awake until it was half five then he left his room. As quiet as he could, the younger Hitatchinn twin snuck down the hallway to his brother's bedroom and was relieved to find Hikaru cuddled up to his pillow, fast asleep. After a quick look around the room Kaoru located the mobile. With one final glance at his sleeping brother he snuck out of the room and sought privacy in the kitchen. It felt wrong going through Hikaru's phone but he felt a little better as he found pictures of random girls in it without even looking for them. If Geni didn't know about them then Kaoru could get his brother in a load of trouble... but that wasn't his aim. His soul purpose for having the phone was to find Genevieve's number./p  
p data-p-id="e244186fb506be105a72b045958c2b98""What are you doing?" Hikaru's voice came from the doorway making Kaoru look up in surprise. It was one of the few times he was grateful for all the years he'd spent improvising to keep up with his brothers lies and jokes. "I've put my phone somewhere and can't find it so I was using your phone to call it. I know I should have asked but I didn't want to wake you." He said sheepishly holding up the phone for his brother to take. Kaoru did take it and scowled. The phone book menu was open and on Kaoru's name, indicating it had just been rang. "Did you find it?" Hikaru asked curiously. "Yeah, I heard ringing in the front room." He replied and headed that way. Hikaru still didn't look convinced but followed Kaoru to help him look. "So why we're you in the kitchen?" He asked. "I thought that was the last place I'd had it." Kaoru shrugged. Hikaru seemed to accept this and soon the phone was found. Hikaru handed it to his brother, "Try not to lose it again okay?" He smirked. Kaoru laughed a little, "yeah, I'll be more careful." He promised, turning to go to his room./p  
p data-p-id="37ed08eab9a5eed6452a95ea0243bbef""Hang on a sec! There's some rubbish stuck to your pants." Hikaru's voice stopped him in his tracks. The paper had likely just slipped up out of his pocket! Kaoru turned slightly but Hikaru had already plucked the scrap of lined paper from his jeans. He promptly took the gum from his mouth, put it in the paper and tossed it into the bin. Kaoru looked from the bin to his brother, "Any more litter picking you want to do while I'm here?" He asked. Hikaru sat down on the sofa, "No, you're dismissed." He said, wafting his hand. Kaoru rolled his eyes and headed promptly to his room.../p 


	4. Can't decode 'Girl Code'

Once his bedroom door was shut Kaoru sighed heavily and slumped down to the floor. After a few moments to collect his thoughts, he pulled the cuff of his shirt back on his left hand. Hikaru usually had pretty good attention to detail, especially concerning clothes as he took after their mother, so Kaoru was amazed he didn't pull him up on having one cuff undone. But he was grateful he hadn't! He stared at the number he'd had to scratch into the back of his hand because he couldn't find a pen to write on the piece of paper that Hikaru had taken from his pocket. If Geni could see it she'd think he was a freak. Heck, looking at his twin brother's secret girlfriend's mobile number scratched into the skin on the back of his hand, even he had to admit this was a bit much. Slowly he pulled out his phone and started tapping the numbers into it, quite aware that he'd dug in too hard and now resulted in bleeding in some places. He hoped it would heal before he saw her again. If not then he figured he'd just make an excuse and wear gloves or something.

He hesitated for what felt like forever, triple checking the number several times before pressing the 'call' button and holding the phone gingerly to his ear. The ringing seemed to go on for an eternity but finally it ended and a girl's voice answered. "Hey..." she said and a wave of relief washed over Kaoru. "Hey Geni, it's..." he stopped as her voice interrupted him and went on. "...it's Geni. Sorry I can't get to my phone right now but leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you a-sap!" Kaoru's smile fell at that but he didn't have long to mull over it as the answer machine on her phone beeped. "Ah... erm... Hey, Geni, Genevieve, it's Kaoru... Hikaru's brother... erm... sorry this is a strange call... but I was wondering if you could meet me in the café we passed in the park today? ... I mean tomorrow... can you meet me tomorrow at the café that we passed today... erm... well... drop me a text on this number when you get this... I hope you don't mind, I got your number from Hikaru... ok... bye." he hung up quickly and felt instantly stupid as he went over what he'd said in his mind. It was all over the place, it was indecisive and sounded utterly UNCOOL.

He groaned heavily and put his phone on charge, deciding there was little more he could do about it but wait for her reply. He sat in his room for an hour or so then started getting ready for bed as it was now about 10pm. Waiting for Hikaru to fall asleep, getting the phone, finding the number and 'looking' for his phone as well as plucking up the courage to actually make the call to Geni's phone had taken a lot longer than he'd expected, something he reflected on as he had a quick shower. He was just about to turn the light on in his room when he saw his phone's screen light up. Forgetting the light he rushed over and picked it up. She'd replied. His hands trembled as he slowly unlocked his phone and his finger hovered over the 'messages' on the screen. It was from the number he'd dialled, the one that was still on the back of his hand. Finally, now sat leaning against his bed still wet and only with the towel around his waist, he pressed it and opened the message.  
"Hi Kaoru. sorry I couldn't get your call. I was at work and they're strict about phones. When do you want to meet up? Geni x"

Kaoru felt his cheeks flush at the little 'x' she'd put on the end of the text. He shook his head hard and mentally called himself an idiot for getting excited over a single letter she probably added to every message, no matter whom it was to, without even thinking about it. He wrote out his reply three times before double checking it and sending it. It read as such:  
"Don't worry about it, I thought you might have been and it was rude to call without asking you for your number in person. I apologise. Any time tomorrow is fine. Maybe in the morning when you're walking Bane? I loved getting to meet him. I'm a real dog fan."

Kaoru had added and taken away an 'x' at the end of it several times before sending it without. Girl code was a minefield to the average boy. Her reply came swiftly but didn't help him decode the elusive 'x' as it read:  
"Don't worry about it. Really. I walk Bane around 9am so is 9:30 good for you? x"

He stared hard at the 'x', mentally willing it to give him answers. That was twice she'd used it and he was none the wiser. What did it stand for? Did you get more 'x's depending on how well she knew you? If so, how many did Hikaru have? And did she think him rude for not using it when he replied? His head was swarmed with questions now. He quickly tapped out his reply having realised that a few minutes had passed.  
"Yeah. 9:30 would be great!" After sending it he regretted the exclamation mark but there wasn't much he could do especially as she messaged back quickly with,  
"Awesome! See you tomorrow then. Good night and sweet dreams Kaoru x". Hikaru read that text several times over. She seemed to be excited about meeting up with him... and she still added the 'x'... right after his name... and she hoped he'd have sweet dreams...

Kaoru felt himself blush and tapped out a final reply, unable to keep from blushing at her sweet text even though he firmly told himself that she was just being nice.  
"Cool. Hope you sleep well and have sweet dreams too." He hadn't wanted to come across as flirtatious, because he had no intention of flirting with his brothers girlfriend, but he still wanted her to like him as a friend.

Now that the meeting had been arranged Kaoru felt much more at ease. He got into bed and settled down. The final thoughts he had as he drifted off to sleep was a praying hope that he'd be more cool tomorrow after the epic fails of the answer machine today.


	5. Breakfast in the Park

The next morning Kaoru woke early and nearly had a heart attack, thinking that he'd overslept. He rushed to get dressed and ran his fingers through his hair as he attempted to brush his teeth while pulling his socks on... a dangerous combination and I suggest you don't attempt it yourselves! It was only when he got to the park, having ran there like a mad man, that he checked the time again and realised that he'd read it wrong. Feeling like a complete idiot he was left to sit around and count his blessings that he was only an hour and a half early. He walked the park a few times and popped into the café for a little something in place of breakfast. He sat on one of the benches near by and ate the bacon and sausage sandwich and sipped the hotter-than-lava coffee as it drew closer to their arranged meeting time. Now he was basically clock watching as the minutes slipped by, making her later and later. Finally, fifteen minutes late, she came jogging over to him with Bane at her heels. "Hey there! Sorry we're late. Bane found a new friend and it took a while to pull him away." Geni said as she approached him. Bane wagged his tail and panted, seeming to be quite happy to see Kaoru again.

Kaoru returned the smile and greeted Bane as he spoke to Geni. "Sorry for asking to meet up so randomly and for getting the number from my brother than ask you in person, only at the time I couldn't see how else I could have contacted you." he tried to explain. "It's fine." she shrugged, "So what were you so eager to talk to me about?" she asked curiously as she sat down on the bench where Kaoru had been waiting for so long. "Oh, yeah... about that..." Kaoru started, unsure how to answer her. He hadn't expected her to ask him directly about it so soon after meeting up. "well, the thing is, I was wondering... would you like to come with me to the concert?" he stammered through the question. "Excuse me?" Geni asked a little surprised. Kaoru felt his cheeks burn from embarrassment, "I said... Would you come with me to the concert? I mean you did pay for the tickets... so it's only fair." He added quickly. He was staring at his feet now and couldn't deny the nervousness he awaited her reply, expecting her to say no.

"Are you sure you want me to go with you? And are you certain Hikaru won't mind?" She finally asked, her voice soft and gentle... quite a difference to the harsh mocking tone Kaoru realised he'd been expecting from her. He found himself look at her in somewhat disbelief. "Yes...and yes." He answered slowly but with confidence that left no doubt in his reply. She smiled warmly at him, "Well, if Hikaru is cool with it, then I'd love to." Kaoru couldn't help but smile at her reply. Since telling Hikaru she'd be going with him, he'd been stressing about if she'd actually agree to go or if he'd have to lie to Hikaru and say something else came up. It didn't feel good lying to his brother but Hikaru needed to learn not to treat people badly.

"You know, I was in such a rush to get here on time, I missed breakfast. Fancy getting some with me?" She asked. For the second time that morning, Kaoru's cheeks burned from blushing, "I'd love to..." he said, deciding against admitting he'd already had breakfast from that very café earlier. "Awesome. I'm thinking, sausages sarnie for Bane and a blt sarnie for me. How about you?" She asked. Kaoru scowled, "Just a bacon sandwich for me... but what on earth is a 'Sarnie'?" he asked. Well that made her laugh and that, in turn, made kaoru smile a little. "Sorry, sorry, it's a British thing." She giggled. "Sarnie is just another word for sandwich, and 'b.l.t.' stands for 'bacon. lettuce and tomato'." She explained with a smile as she took her purse out. Kaoru reached over though and put his hand on hers and shook his head, "Please, allow me." He smiled and couldn't help feel a little cocky as he noticed a slight blush tint her cheek, even though he knew it was probably because he reminded her of his brother.

With that, Kaoru got up and went inside the café to purchase the elusive 'Sarnies' and also got them a coffee each as well as a bottle of water for the patiently panting pooch as well as remembering to ask for a bowl for said dog. He brought the whole order outside on a tray and found Geni and Bane sat at a picnic table. "Breakfast is served, mi'lady." He said as he placed the tray on the table. She chuckled softly at his act and took the bowl, placing it on the ground and pouring the bottled water into it for Bane. The dog happily lapped it up as Kaoru passed her blt sandwich, coffee and Bane's sausage sandwich to her then took his own. "Thank you." she said as unwrapped the sausage one and tore the sausages into pieces, leaving them on the little paper bag that the sandwich had come in, so they would cool quickly for the dog. Kaoru added a couple of sugars to his coffee and watched her casually. He usually left out the sugar when around Hikaru as everyone expected them to have their coffee the same. It was nice to be able to do what he wanted without having to mimic his slightly older brother. Almost like a rare freedom, it was quite refreshing.

They ate and talked a little, quite at ease. Kaoru told her a little about their host club days but felt a little silly when she pointed out that, since it was Kaoru she was talking to, she wanted to hear it from his point of view rather than always hearing 'Hikaru and I'. It was refreshing, so much so that Geni would have easily won Misuzu's 'refreshing' competition at the pension she/he owned in Karuizawa. Kaoru had enough sense to leave this little story about Hikaru's extent to 'win' any game... and also his inability to share a double bed without kicking someone out 'accidentally'. He decided to leave some of the other stories he had til a later date, that way he'd always have something he could say that would entertain her with.

After their belated breakfast the three of them rose to leave, having disposed of their rubbish first. "So... when is this thing again?" Kaoru asked as she looked set to leave. "Friday, so two days time." she replied as she put the bowl back on the tray now Bane had had enough water, though she put the lid on the bottle to save the rest. "Great. Want me to come pick you up?" Kaoru offered. "How about I come over to yours and we make our way from there?" she suggested. Kaoru nodded with a smile but then she added, "That way I can see Hikaru before we go. I want to give him a little something so he doesn't feel left out." Kaoru's face fell slightly at that but he recovered quickly, "Yeah, that sounds great! well, guess I'll see you then! Drop me a text if you need me." he added as he turned to leave. "Sure thing! Take care Kaoru! See you Friday!" she waved as she set off in the opposite direction with Bane at her heels.

Hikaru. It always came back to Hikaru. If she knew how bothersome the older brother found her would she still love him? Hikaru didn't deserve her care and devotion... not when he was playing her like that, just trailing her along. Kaoru gritted his teeth as he walked, angrier with himself for these feelings of annoyment felt towards his brother than by what his brother was actually doing. He didn't understand it. Hikaru was his brother. They'd always been together. Geni was a sweet girl and already a good friend. So why did he feel so...?


End file.
